HomeBound
by prussianblue7
Summary: This Fan Session follows the adventures of a young lady and six of her friends as they make their way through the game of Sburb. They explore worlds, defeat enemies, and meet new friends along the way.
1. Let the Games Begin!

HOMEBOUND  
A young girl stands in her room. Today, the 14th of August, 2012. is her thirteenth birthday. Although it was thirteen years ago that she was given life, it is only today that she will be given a name. What will the name of this young lady be?

==Enter Name  
Chel Taylor.

==  
Your name is Chel Taylor and as was previously mentioned, today is your thirteenth birthday. You have many interests, including a love for cats, reading, and theories about interdimensional travel. You used to partake in theatrical swordplay, and have taken up quite the collection of swords. Your Pesterchum tag is telestheticGatefold, and you speak in a manner that is quite intelligent but you often come off as a bit cold. Today you and six of your friends will play a game that will destroy the universe. But you are pretty okay with that, as there is hardly anything worth saving anyway. What will you do?

==Examine Your Room  
Your room is rather small and contains a number of items that reflect your various interests.

==Examine Harry Potter Poster  
You take a nice long ogle at the poster showcasing these beautiful books. The movies weren't half bad either. It is really unfortunate that the movies are very rarely better than the books.

==Examine Notebook  
You pick up the notebook containing your personal theories on life, the universe, and everything, (god you love those books) and place it in your sylladex, which is currently set to your encyclopedia modus. The notebook is shelved under "T" for theories, to be looked up and used at a later time.

==  
It would appear that one of your chums is trying to pester you.

==Answer Chum  
(telodynamicUtinum [TU] has begun pestering telestheticGatefold [TG]  
TU: hey Chel  
TU: you there?  
TG: Yes. Hello. What did you want?  
TU: i was just wondering if you got my present  
TG: Depends, did you send it in the mail?  
TU: yeah  
TU: why?  
TG: No reason, I just haven't gotten the mail yet. I really hope Lyssa hasn't peed on it or anything.  
TU: you mean your weird catmom thing  
TG: Yes, my "weird catmom thing."  
TG: She's very intelligent, you know. Not to mention she has cared for me ever since my Gran died.  
TU: sorry... I didn't mean to insult her or anything...  
TG: I suppose I could find it in my heart to forgive you.  
TU: thank you so much Chel!  
TG: You do realise I was being sarcastic, right?  
TU: so... you dont forgive me?  
TG: *don't  
TG: No, you idiot. I was never really mad in the first place!  
TU: oh...  
TU: sorry...  
TG: It's fine. I suppose I should really be more considerate of your inability to understand my insincerity.  
TU: ha ha yeah  
TU: that would really be great  
TU: so anyway, have you heard from GC today?  
TG: No. I believe she was getting her internet fixed today. Why?  
TU: oh...no reason...  
TG: Oh god. You still have a weird crush on her, don't you.  
TU: no! wtf are you talking about!  
TG: Yeah, sure.  
TG: I suppose I will talk to you later.  
TU: yeah  
TU: bye  
TG: Bye.  
(telestheticGatefold [TG] ceased pestering telodynamicUtinam[TU]

==Go downstairs  
You would, but you are afraid your cat and guardian, Lyssa, will stop you with chores or something.

==Sneak out on your roof  
You go out on your roof. Your small suburban neighborhood stretches out before you. The sun shines down on the tilted rooftops of average homes with their average families living inside them. People walk up and down the street and go about their lives, completely unaware of the approaching apocalyptic chaos. You have a feeling this is going to be a long day.

==Jump down to your lawn and get the mail  
Why would you do that, stupid? You would probably break both your legs, and that's if you didn't die first.

==Descend to your lawn more carefully  
You push your homemade rope ladder, which was created for you by one of your friends, out of your window and descend very carefully to your lawn.

==Check the mail  
You approach your mailbox cautiously.

==  
The mailbox is open, but there appears to be no mail inside.

==Throw your hat on the ground in frustration.  
What hat? You have never worn a hat and are pretty sure you never will.

==Go back up rope ladder  
It appears the rope ladder has fallen.

==Capchatalogue rope ladder  
You capchatalogue the rope ladder under "R" in your encyclopedia modus.

==Proceed to the front door  
You shiver in anticipation of the confrontation between you and your guardian.

==  
Your guardian glares at you in a motherly fashion through the window. You retreat to hide behind a tree.

==Proceed more carefully  
You silently creep through the front door and attempt to sneak past your pet and up the stairs.

==  
DARN! You almost made it!

==Abscond  
You can not abscond. Lyssa is blocking the stairs

==Aggrieve  
You throw the notebook at your pet. She abjures it with her claws.

==Abstain  
Your guardian gives you a firm scolding and sends you to your room. She decides to keep your notebook as a hostage.

==Abscond  
You quickly take the mail and run to your room.

==  
You sit behind your closed door once more. Phew! That was close! Crap. Two of your friends are pestering you again.

==Answer Chum  
(goeticCacogen [GC] began pestering telestheticGatefold [TG])  
GC: Just wanted to let you know that my internet is back up  
GC: Goodbye  
TG: Uh... Okay? Was that all?  
GC: Yes  
GC: Goodbye  
(goeticCacogen [GC] ceased pestering telestheticGatefold [TG])

==  
Wow. She scares you sometimes, even if she is one of your best friends. Sometimes you're not sure if she really is your friend or if she is just manipulating you to her advantage.

==Answer other Chum  
(candescantAcatalepsy [CA] began pestering telestheticGatefold [TG])  
CA: (Hi! ;) )  
TG: What.  
CA: (Wow, you're feeling friendly today!)  
TG: Sorry, Lyssa has been a bit... Annoying today.  
CA: (Oh. That's too bad. :( What is she doing?)  
TG: I climbed down from the roof to get the mail, but my ladder fell, so I had to go in the front door, and when I came inside, she gave me a lecture and sent me to my room.  
CA: (I'm sure she means well, maybe she was worried about you falling off the roof or getting stabbed in the back by some dude who works for the queen of a magical land or something!)  
TG: Doesn't that seem just a bit unlikely?  
CA: (Okay, maybe not the second one, but you know what I mean! :) She was probably just worried about you!)  
TG: I suppose.  
TG: So, why did you want to talk?  
CA: (I was wondering if you'll play the game with me and the others later? :DDD)  
TG: *The others and I.  
CA: (Whatever! So, are you gonna play?!)  
TG: I suppose.  
CA: (Yay! :D)  
CA: (So basically, here's the plan.)  
CA: (You're going to install your client copy first, and I'll be your server player. Then I should be able to manipulate your environment! ;) Heh heh)  
TG: Just please don't do anything stupid to my house.  
CA: (Awwww. :( Fiiiine!)  
CA: (Anyways, you will lead the session by going in first, with me as your server player, then TU will be my server player, then CT will be his, then AT will be hers, then AU will connect to him, then GC will connect to him, then you'll complete the circle by bringing GC into the game. :3 Sound good?)  
TG: Alright. I suppose I can work with that. I'm not sure how I feel about being the one to connect to her...  
CA: (P I know what you mean!)  
TG: I suppose I'll message you again once I install the client copy.  
CA: (Sounds good! :DDD)  
CA: (Bye!)  
TG: Goodbye.  
(candescantAcatalepsy [CA] ceased pestering telestheticGatefold [TG])  
To be honest, you're not quite sure if you're less confused, or even more confused than you were before.

==Leave room  
You leave your bedroom and go into the upstairs living room. Inside are a fireplace, several couches, a basket full of cat toys, and a picture of your Gran.

==Examine picture of Gran  
The picture displays Gran Taylor in this very room, sitting in an old rocking chair by the fire with a two year old version of yourself in her lap and her cat Alice curled up next to the chair on the floor. Alice lays on her side with her kittens beside her, one of whom would one day become your guardian. You miss your Gran, even if you can't remember much about her. Her death, which vaguely involved a meteor, a video game store, and a shoe, was highly inconvenient and deeply unfortunate.

==Captchalogue picture  
That's enough time spent reminiscing! Time to get some work done. You captchalogue the picture under "P", for photograph. Thankfully, you don't already have something captchalogued under "P," otherwise things would get complicated. Sometimes you have to get a bit creative with naming your items so that they fit in your sylladex.

==Look around  
There appears to be an apple on the coffee table.

==Eat apple  
You captchalogue the apple under "A" and continue looking around. Is that a magazine on the floor?

==Examine magazine  
It appears to be one of your Gran's old architecture magazines. You throw it in the fire. Too many memories that you don't want to be distracted by at the moment.

==Return to room  
You go back into your room and sit on the bed. Your covers are a plain navy blue with little white vine patterns on it. You look up at the ceiling, where your Sburb Beta poster is taped, just above your head.

==Get computer  
You find your computer under "C" and pull up your favorite website, . A new comic titled "ArchExiles" is displayed on the main page of the website. The new adventure looks exquisite, in your opinion.

==  
You read for a while, but eventually succumb to boredom. You pick up the Sburb Beta client disc. A picture of a green house is shown on the cover.

==Insert disk  
The game begins to download onto your computer. A foreign, vacillating symbol dances on your screen above the loading bar. After a few minutes of watching the bar slowly crawl towards completion, you get bored and decide to pester another of your chums.

==Pester  
(telestheticGatefold [TG] began pestering abscindedTach )  
TG: Hello? Are you there?  
AT: yeah  
AT: whats up my man  
AT: er... girl  
TG: Nothing much. I was just waiting for this game to load and got bored.  
AT: oh  
AT: thats cool  
AT: so whats blue  
TG: Blue?  
AT: u know, sky is blue, sky is up, whats up?  
TG: Oh. Your jokes are terrible.  
AT: please, my jokes are HILARIOUS!  
TG: I mean, no one could possibly understand them enough to think they are humorous in any way, shape, or form.  
AT: wow thats cold  
TG: Sorry.  
AT: no its cool  
AT: oh speaking of cool, check out this joke  
AT: so if someone is an instructor at an ice cream parlor, arent they a SUNDAE SCHOOL TEACHER? GET IT?  
TG: Hilarious.  
AT: thanks  
AT: i know  
AT: so anyway, whats all this i hear about a game were playing  
TG: What do you already know?  
AT: just that the seven of us are playing, and that according 2 TU, its freaking awesome  
TG: Wow. Is that all?  
AT: yes?  
TG: You really need to do a better job with research.  
AT: well, uh, u really need 2 sUCK IT!  
TG: That comeback is so old.  
TG: Anyways, basically, the server player can manipulate the client player's environment, while the client player's job is to complete quests and that sort of thing. Once all the players have entered the game, they must work together to defeat the black king and queen, who are like the final bosses, and win the game.  
TG: You are going to enter fifth and be the server player for CT. AU will be your server player.  
TG: That's what CA told me, anyway.  
AT: sounds cool with me  
TG: CA or I will give you more directions once we enter the game and learn a little more about how stuff works.  
AT: k  
AT: ttyl?  
TG: I suppose so.  
TG: Goodbye.  
(telestheticGatefold[TG] ceased pestering abscindedTach )  
You aren't quite sure what to think about him, other then that he has a terrible sense of humor and has a bit more of an affinity for explosives than you would like.

==Check on game  
The loading screen has disappeared and been replaced with one that simply reads "waiting for server player."

==  
The screen changes to read "server player connected, welcome to Sburb Beta."

==Pester server player  
(telestheticGatefold[TG] began pestering candescantAcatalepsy[CA])  
TG: Alright. So we are in.  
CA: (Uh... I haven't even put in the disc yet... :?)  
TG: But my screen says that a server player has connected to me and I'm ready to start the game...  
CA: (Well it's not me... :/ Maybe one of the others accidentally joined too early?)  
TG: Yes, I suppose so.  
TG: Hold on, TU is pestering me, I had better go answer.  
(telestheticGatefold [TG] ceased pestering candescantAcatalepsy [CA])  
CA: (Okay! ;) Talk later!)

==Answer TU  
(telodynamicUntinam [TU] began pestering telestheticGatefold [TG])  
TU: uh, Chel? i think i may have made a mistake...  
TG: Let me guess, you accidentally clicked the wrong button and now you are my server player instead of CA.  
TU: pretty much  
TU: so... uh, do you mind me being your server player?  
TG: Not really. I mean, CA is more competent, but it does not matter that much. Just refrain from screwing up.  
TU: thanks? i guess?  
TG: You are most welcome. Now, we need to figure out how this game works. What do your controls look like?  
TU: there are a bunch of icons at the top of the screen in my "phernalia registry" and "atheneum" that seem to hold a bunch of items with really weird names that i can drag and drop  
TG: Okay, try using one.

==TU: Deploy Alchemiter  
TG: Interesting. It appears to be some sort of machine.  
TG: What else can you do?  
TU: It looks like I can make changes to the structure of your house in exchange for something called "build grist"  
TG: What kind of changes?  
TU: like, expansions and add ons and stuff O.O  
TG: Can you expand my room?

==TU: Expand room  
TU: Like that?  
TU: oh man, that used up a lot of grist...  
TG: Precisely. My room is now 30 square yards bigger than it was before. Thank you. This may actually come in handy.  
TU: you're welcome?  
TG: Try deploying another item.

==TU: Deploy Totem Lathe and Cruxtruder  
TG: Hey! You just crushed my toilet!  
TU: sorry, i'll be more careful next time :(  
TG: (sigh)  
TG: You're paying for a replacement once we finish playing this game.  
TU: uh... i'm kinda broke...  
TG: I'm sure you'll find a way.  
TG: Are those all the devices in your phernalia registry?  
TU: yeah  
TU: hold on, i want to try something

==TU: Use cursor  
TG: What in the world are you doing?  
TU: if I click and drag an object, I can move it!  
TG: That's nice and all, but you kind of just threw my books out of the window!  
TU: oops  
TU: here, let me put it back  
TU: it won't let me grab it! i think i'm out of range...  
TG: Try expanding my room so you can extend your range

==TU: Expand

==TU:Grab books  
TG: Thank you.  
TU: yeah  
TU: we're pretty much out of build grist though  
TG: I suppose we should find a way to make more.  
TU: yeah, probably  
TG: Why don't you try to figure out what those machines you put in here do while I talk to CA about what we should do next.  
TU: okay  
TU: i'll message you if i find something  
[telodynamicUntinam [TU] ceased pestering telestheticGatefold [TG])


	2. SPAAAACE!

====Who is this?  
A young man stands in his bedroom. Due to completely random and inevitable circumstances, he is now the second player in a game called Sburb, which he is going to play with six of his friends. One of those friends is currently relying on this young man to figure out some machines. This young man named...

==Enter name:Bandicoot Copersnickle  
Nice try, smarty pants. Try again.

==Enter name:Nate Hayes  
Your name is Nate Hayes. As was previously mentioned, your friend Chel is depending on you to do some investigating of some machinery. You have a variety of interests, including astronomy, and random geeky things. You have a deep passion for Star Wars and you like to try and prank your friends, although you're not very good at it. Your greatest wish would be to go into space and research alien life. Maybe you could discover a wookie or something!  
What will you do?

==Nate: Mess with cruxtruder  
You poke the cruxtruder with your cursor. It doesn't do anything.

==Nate: Click and drag  
Nope. The cruxtruder is thoroughly stuck. That's what you get for crushing a poor, innocent, toilet.

==Nate: Drop book on cruxtruder  
You click on one of Chel's books and drag it over to the cruxtruder. You drop the book from a considerable height and hope that Chel won't kill you if it breaks.

==Cruxtruder: Break  
The top of the cruxtruder falls off. You really hope that was supposed to happen.

==Nate: Examine cruxtruder  
The bottom of the cruxtruder now displays a clock, counting down from 7:14:00:00, or seven hours and fourteen minutes exactly. You wonder what it's counting down to?

==Nate: Examine interior of cruxtruder  
Inside there appears to be a pale blue cylinder. When you scroll over it, the words "cruxite dowel" appear. A flashing sphere of the same colour hovers over the cruxtruder.

==Nate: Extrude cruxite  
The cruxite can only be extruded by the client player, moron!

==Nate: Examine alchemiter  
You stand on the large circular platform and check out the cool design etched into it. It looks almost like an x-wing from Star Wars or something. A new item has appeared in your phernalia registry under the name "Pre-punched card." You figure it probably has something to do with the alchemiter.

==Nate:Deploy pre-punched card  
You deploy the card, but you can't do anything with it until Chel comes back.

==Nate: Examine totem lathe  
You're really not sure what the heck this does. You should investigate more later, though.

==Chel: Pester CA  
(telestheticGatefold [TG] began pestering candescantAcatalepsy [CA])  
TG: Okay. I'm back. It turns out Nate accidentally became my server player instead of you.  
CA: (Yeah, I kinda figured...)  
TG: So anyways, Nate and I figured out most of the controls, as well as some sort of money called "build grist" that you can spend to add extensions on to my house. He also gave me these really strange machines that I think I'm supposed to do something with. Any ideas?  
CA: (Yes. So basically, what you want to do is open the cruxtruder and extrude the cruxite dowel. Then you put the cruxite dowel on the pedestal of the alchemiter, where the alchemiter should carve the dowel into a certain shape. Without a punchcard, though, all you can really make are perfectly generic objects.)  
TG: How do you get the punchcard?  
CA: (It should be in Nate's phernalia registry. There should also be a section called the "atheneum," where the objects you have cards for are listed along with the amount of grist it will take to make them.)  
TG: Okay, so then what do I do with the punch card?  
CA: (First you put the card in a slot in the totem lathe, and then bring the cruxite dowel over and clamp it onto the lathe. There should be a button you can push to activate the totem lathe, which will carve the dowel into a shape using the code on the card. After that you can bring the carved cruxite dowel back over to the alchemiter, and put it back on the pedestal. Then you can alchemize the object on the card!)  
TG: Thank you. Is that all?  
CA: (Pretty much. (; )  
TG: I'll get back to you after I finish alchemizing.  
CA: (Good luck!)  
(candescantAcatalepsy [CA] ceased pestering telestheticGatefold [TG])

==Nate:Consult client player  
(telodynamicUntinam [TU] began pestering telestheticGatefold [TG])  
TU: uh... i messed around with the machines for a while... it didnt really do anything  
TU: i did manage to open the cruxtruder and found an item called a "cruxite dowel"  
TU: only the client player can access it though...  
TG: Yes. CA told me how to use all three of the machines in order to alchemize various objects.  
TU: oh... okay?  
TU: also, when i opened it, the cruxtruder also released a blue spherey thingymajig  
TG: Interesting. She didn't say anything about that... I'll have to ask her later.  
TU: so how do i use the machines?  
TG: I don't suppose you managed to receive a punch card somehow, despite your incompetence?  
TU: yeah, i did  
TU: so what does that do?  
TG: Hold on, let me get the cruxite dowel first. Then I'll explain.  
TU: uh...okay?

==Chel: Extrude cruxite dowel  
You turn a wheel on the side of the cruxtruder which raises the dowel enough for you to grab it. The blue sphere follows you, drifting just above your head.

==Chel: Bring dowel up to totem lathe  
You grab the dowel and race back into your room. You clamp the dowel to the lathe.  
TG: Where's the punch card?  
TU: it should be right next to the totem lathe...?  
TG: Oh, never mind. I found it.

==Chel: Insert punch card  
You place the card in the slot and push the button, activating the lathe.  
TG: The alchemiter is the one you crushed my toilet with, right?  
TU: yeah... sorry about that...  
TG: Well, you can make up for it after we finish the game. How about you treat me to ice cream or a movie or something?  
TU: uh, yeah, sure  
TU: that sounds pretty fun, actually  
TG: Oh look! The dowel is finished.  
TU: thats actually kinda cool  
TG: Yes. I am beginning to enjoy this game.

==Chel: Bring carved dowel to alchemiter  
You go into the bathroom with the dowel, which is now carved into an intricate hourglass shape.

==Chel: Alchemize!  
You place the dowel on the pedestal. A brilliant, blinding blue light fills the room. When the glow fades, all that remains is a singular object on the circular platform.

==Chel and Nate: Examine object  
You marvel at the great and vast tree that has sprouted from nothing. However, the tree almost immediately disappears leaving behind only a single, pale blue... Strawberry? But aren't strawberries supposed to be red and green? And don't the grow on bushes, not trees? Ah well.

==Chel: Eat the strawberry, wear the hat  
What hat? You capchatalogue the strawberry under "S" and turn back towards your laptop.  
TG: Well that was disappointing.  
TU: no kidding  
TU: how much grist did we use?  
TG: None, interestingly.  
TU: weird  
TU: i guess well need it for something later?  
TG: I suppose. If so, I am curious as to its intended purpose.  
TG: I'm going to go ask CA about this blue sphere thing.  
TU: okay, bye  
TG: Goodbye.  
(telestheticGatefold [TG] ceased pestering telodynamicUtinam [TU])


	3. Snow Day!

====POV SWITCH! Who's this young lady?  
A young lady winks at you from behind the fourth wall. She thinks it is kind of hilarious that you want to give her some sort of silly name, which is completely illogical, and most definitely not the one she was given on the date of her birth. She might put up with a silly name for now, if she had the time, but unfortunately she does not. Her name is Kira Michaelis and she is thirteen years old.

==Be Kira  
Kira has generously allowed you to be her... For now.

==  
Your name is Kira Michaelis, and as was previously mentioned, you simply do not have time for any shenanigans because you are working on a way to save your friends' lives. And also probably the world. For some reason, it is snowing outside. Even though you live in Florida and it is Summer. You don't really mind, though, as you tend to run hot.  
In fact, sometimes, you'll even swim in the middle of winter, which brings us to your wide variety of interests.  
You love playing strategy games, especially chess, and you are pretty good at them. You lack that talent in video games, however, but they are still a lot of fun. You also love fairy tales, which explains why your imagination often runs away with you, swimming, and pairing your friends (Your sister calls it "shipping.")  
Your Pesterchum handle is candescantAcatalepsy and even though you suffer from aphasia, you type in a friendly and intelligent manner. However, that doesn't mean you won't do anything in order to protect your friends. What will you do?

==Kira: Eat your hat and pee on the floor  
You don't have time for those kinds of shenanigans! You have friends to save!

==Kira: Check pocket calendar  
On your pocket calendar is a list of dates that are important to you, such as your friends' birthdays. There is a large circle in your favourite colour, periwinkle, on today's date, marking the day you and your friends begin playing a game that will destroy the universe.

==Kira: Captchalogue pocket calendar  
You captchalogue the calendar to your Memory modus. You'll have to match the two captcha cards that have the calendar on them in order to retrieve it again.

==Kira: Examine room  
Random books are scattered around the floor, mainly collections of your favourite fairy tales. Your goggles and swim cap sit on your desk, along with your laptop and smartphone, although it is currently the off season. Your favourite chess set is splayed out on your untidy bed.

==Kira: Examine chess set  
This chess set is, by far, your favourite out of the many you own. Your friend gave it to you for your birthday almost a year ago. All of the pieces are shaped like different cats, which are her favourite animals. You think the gift was quite thoughtful of her.

==Kira: Play chess  
Why would you do that if there's no one to play against? You firmly believe that there is no point in fighting yourself when there are greater enemies to be beaten, greater lands to be conquered! There goes your imagination again.

==Kira: Contact future server player  
(candescantAcatalepsy [CA] began pestering callowTemarian[CT])  
CA: (Hey! You there? :3 )  
CT: Hello there. How are you doing, kira? :)  
CA: (I'm fine. I was just wondering if you were ready to play the game. (; )  
CT: Oh, definitely! I'm still having trouble convincing AU to play with me though... :(  
CA: (That's too bad. He would certainly be useful! :( we could probably still do well enough without him, though.  
CT: I don't want him to be left out! :(  
CA: (I'll tell you what; I'll try to convince him to play if you do something for me.)  
CT: Anything, sis. :)  
CA: (I need you to be my server player.)  
CT: But I thought Nate was going to do that?  
CA: (Yeah, so did I. Nate, however, being the bumbling idiot that he is, accidentally became Chel's server player instead of mine!)  
CT: Don't be mean, sis! He's really smart! :(  
CA: (With space stuff, yeah. But with common sense he's completely clueless!)  
CT: I guess. :( Anyway, I would be honored to be your server player. :)  
CA: (Thanks.)  
CT: No prob.  
CT: So, sis. ;)  
CA: (Yeah?)  
CT: I know you've been shipping Chel with Nate, since, like, forever.  
CA: (So?)  
CT: So, I want to make a bet with you. ;$  
CA: (Okayyy?)  
CT: I bet that I can get them to kiss before you can! ;)))  
CA: (As a champion pairer of persons, I accept your challenge!)  
CT: Goood luuuck!  
CA: (Same to you!)  
CA: (In the meantime, I'll convince AU to play, and you can prepare to be my server player.)  
CT: Okay! See you later! :)  
CA: (Yeah, later. (: )  
CA: (I'll message you again when I'm ready for you.)  
CT: Okay! Bye. :)  
(callowTemarian [CT] ceased pestering candescantAcatalepsy [CA])  
You really love your sister. And now you have an extra challenge to what is already promised to be a considerably difficult game. Now you have to talk to him, though. You can usually get along with pretty much anyone, but there's something about that guy that just pisses you off.

==Kira: Contact that guy  
(candescantAcatalepsy [CA] began pestering adventitiousUbiquarian [AU])  
CA: (Hello.)  
AU: Hello, MIss MichAelis. WhAt do yoU need.  
CA: (Look, I need you to join the game.)  
AU: And whAt if I don't?  
CA: (Why wouldn't you?)  
AU: Well, I hAve heArd thAt this gAme destroys the world.  
CA: (But the whole point is that we're going to create a new, better one!)  
AU: I'm not going to plAy A gAme with A leAder who cAn't speAk.  
CA: (Oh, sure, insult the mute girl. Because that's real manly.)  
CA: (Not to mention, I'm not leading our team, Chel is.)  
AU: Oh. Good. I wAs not insUlting yoU, merely pointing oUt thAt it woUld be difficUlt to leAd A teAm with A speech disAbIiIty As bAd As yoUrs.  
CA: (One that you were responsible for, you asshole!)  
AU: I'll tell yoU whAt, If yoU cAn give me a good reAson to join, I wIll help yoU glAdly.  
CA: (What if I give you twenty bucks?)  
AU: I hAve plenty of money.  
CA: (A new soccer ball?)  
AU: No.  
CA: (Some comic books?)  
AU: How did yoU know I liked comics?  
CA: (You're not exactly subtle.)  
CA: (Alright, fine! I'll give you a good reason! My sister is playing, and while I know the relationship between us is tense, to say the least, I know that you would do almost anything to protect her. That's why you should play.)  
AU: ...  
AU: FInE. I'm not hAppy AboUt It thoUgh.  
CA: (Finally.)  
CA: (You're entering sixth, after AT. GC is going to be your server player.)  
(candescantAcatalepsy [CA] ceased pestering adventitiousUbiquarian [AU])  
AU: WAit, whAt do yoU meAn GC Is going to be my server plAyer?

==Kira: Sigh with obvious relief  
You are so glad that conversation is over. You hate that guy! You hate him and his weird broken keyboard with a burning passion! You have to put up with him for your sister's sake, though. Unfortunately.

==Chel: Pester Kira  
(telestheticGatefold [TG] began pestering candescanAcatalepsy [CA])  
TG: Hello.  
CA: (You would not believe the conversation I just had!)  
CA: (So my sister wants AU to play the game with us, right, and you know how much I love him.)  
TG: Um... Kira?  
CA: (So she asks me to try to convince him to freaking play the game with us, and he says that "he doesn't want to destroy the world" or whatever, and so then the only way I can convince him is to tell him that my sister is playing and that he should play because he likes her more than me! Can you believe how CREEPY that is!)  
TG: Kira?  
CA: (Not only that, but he begins our conversation by calling me "Miss Michaelis" because apparently he's all high and mighty now!)  
TG: Kira, you're rambling again.  
CA: (And then he has the nerve to insult my aphasia! Can you believe him?)  
TG: KIRA!  
CA: (What?)  
TG: You're being unreasonable! I'm sure he was just messing with you. In fact, as far as I know, he had always intended to play the game.  
TG: According to AT, that is.  
CA: (Well then why did he have to lead me on like that! I hate him and his stupid broken keyboard and his manipulation and his creepy infatuation for my sister and EVERYTHING!)  
TG: Deep breaths, Kira.  
TG: I'm sure he didn't mean any harm, he was just trying to tick you off. Also, I don't believe he is quite "infatuated" with your sister, they are just good friends and you are going to have to accept that.  
CA: (Yeah, I know. He just makes me feel so angry! :|)  
TG: If you are done ranting, there was something I wanted to ask you.  
CA: (What?)  
TG: Do you know anything about a flashing blue orb that follows you around everywhere?  
CA: (Yours is blue?)  
TG: Yes, why? What does that mean?  
CA: (I don't know. Just I've never heard of a blue one.)  
TG: Okay, so now we know that I am an anomalous freak of nature. But what is it?  
CA: (That's your kernel sprite.)  
TG: What does it do?  
CA: (From what I've read in walkthroughs, you need to prototype it twice, and then it will become a sort of guide to give you info about the game.)  
TG: How do you prototype it?  
CA: (Basically, you have to throw something at it.)  
CA: (Be careful with what you prototype it with, though, because according to one walkthrough, whatever the players sprites' characteristics are are transferred to the "final boss," or something like that.)  
TG: Interesting. What should I prototype it with?  
CA: (Find something cool, but not very powerful. Also, you have roughly seven hours to figure out how to enter the Medium before a meteor destroys your house.)  
TG: And you are just telling me this now?  
CA: (I just figured it out about an hour ago myself!)  
TG: Well, I should probably go hatch my kernelsprite now.  
CA: (Okay, when you get into the Medium, message me, so that I know to start my server program for Nate.)  
TG: Alright. I will see you later.  
CA: (See ya!)  
TG: Goodbye.  
(telestheticGatefold [TG] ceased pestering candescanAcatalepsy [CA])

==Chel: Hatch kernel sprite  
You try to think of something that would be useful as a sprite. Suddenly from out of nowhere, something flies towards your head. You quickly duck, causing the object to fly straight into your kernel sprite. A bright blue light fills every corner of your room.


	4. Misadventures of Dreams and Red Liquids

==Nate: Oops  
You cannot believe you may have just possibly killed your client player and/or ended the world. She is going to kill you. Oh god, she's not moving.

==Chel: Wake  
You blink open your eyes slowly, trying to get used to the brilliant light flooding your eyelids.

==Chel: Examine surroundings  
When your eyes adjust, you notice that you are somewhere you have never been before. It looks sort of like your bedroom, but a large number of objects are missing from it, like your books, which are placed neatly in the bookshelves that now line your walls, rather than scattered around the floor. Also, the colour scheme has changed vastly from a plain white to a shining gold. No wonder it's so bright!

==Chel: Look out window  
You slowly get off your now four poster bed and walk over to the window. A vast cityscape stretches out before you with golden buildings towering above and busy streets winding through the city below. Crowds of people of a strange species bustle through the streets as they go about their daily lives. One of the strange, white shelled people waves at you from below. You wave back with stunned politeness.

==Chel: Look up  
You look to the skies, only to see that there aren't any. Only a sprawling black void sprinkled with the tiny lights of stars and planets remains. Above your head and to your left, an enormous blue sphere hangs suspended in the black void, white clouds with flashing images of your future drifting across its surface. In the distance a deep purple planet similar to the one you are currently on floats into view, but with towers of obsidian rather than gold. The violet sphere floats just beyond a massive belt of meteors, barely within your line of vision. You have never seen anything so beautiful in your life.

==Nate: Wake up Chel  
You poke her with your cursor. This action is a complete failure.

==Nate: Panic  
Ohgodohgodohgod whatdoyoudowhatdoyoudo  
You decide to ask your friend. Maybe he'll be able to help.  
(telodynamicUtinam [TU] began pestering abscindedTach )  
TU: ohgodohgodohgodohgodithinkijustkilledchelbutitwasanaccidentiswear  
AT: whoa, wtf? slow down buddy. say again?  
TU: i just threw something at Chel and i think i might have killed her!  
AT: what happened  
TU: she was looking for something to use as a sprite and i found something that might be useful to her so i tried to pick it up and give it to her because she wasn't answering me when i tried to message her but instead of me handing it to her something went wrong and it went flying at her head and then there was a really bright light and i couldnt see her and now shes lying on the floor bleeding but i cant tell where the bloods coming from and theres this weird floaty blue thingy hovering above her and you have to help me i dont know what to do  
AT: whoa there, buddy  
AT: first of all, calm the eff down  
AT: secondly, u should probs talk 2 Michaelis  
AT: shell know what 2 do more than i do  
AT: or u could just, i dunno, poke her or drop something on her head  
TU: okay, ill try talking to Kira. thanks for helping me calm down  
AT: no prob bro  
TU: oh god i really hope shes not dead  
(telodynamicUtinam [TU] ceased pestering abscindedTach )

==Nate: Get help from Kira  
(telodynamicUtinam [TU] began pestering candescantAcatalepsy [CA])  
TU: Kira? are you there?  
TU: please answer Chels dying and i really need your help  
CA: (Chel's dying?! But I just talked to her! What happened?!)  
TU: i accidentally hit her really hard when i tried to give her something and now shes bleeding a lot  
CA: (Can you tell where she's hurt?)  
TU: no. when i threw it at her this really bright light blocked out my viewport so i didnt see where she got hit!  
CA: (Okay Nate, I need you to do something that may sound a little weird.)  
TU: ill do anything if itll help save Chel!  
CA: (I need you to grab a pen and a piece of paper with your cursor.)  
TU: okay, now what?  
CA: (I need you to write something very specific for me, okay?)  
TU: yeah, what?  
CA: (71400 Strawberry ct., Midian FL, 24087.)  
TU: your address? how is that going to do anything  
CA: (Just trust me.)  
TU: okay, now what?  
CA: (I want you to zoom in on the downstairs living room of Chel's house using your viewport feature.)  
TU: okay,  
CA: (Now I need you to put the piece of paper on Lyssa.)  
TU: then what?  
CA: (You're fine. Now I have to wait.)  
TU: for what?  
(candescantAcatalepsy [CA] ceased pestering telodynamicUtinam [TU])  
TU: wait! i still need your help!

==Kira: Greet Lyssa  
Lyssa teleports to your room using her omnipotent ability to bend time and space. You greet her with a hug to thank her for her help. You quickly explain the problem. She replies with a Meow.

==Kira and Lyssa: Teleportation shenanigans  
You jump from place to place, time to time within a matter of seconds, catching only glimpses of the places where you pause momentarily, only to leave again almost immediately. You can see flashes of events in your past and future; someones hands wrapped around a past you's throat, squeezing every last bit of breath out of your lungs. A future you stands beside a dead body, their blood coating your hands as one of your friends collapses next to you, sobbing. A you of an unknown time and place, isolated, in the dark, and screaming for someone to help you. More pasts and futures blend together as you draw near your final destination.

==Kira and Lyssa: Arrive  
You finally stop jumping through time and space after what feels like forever. You ungracefully crash to the ground and wait for the nausea to pass. You desperately try to make sense of the images that you have just seen.

==Kira and Lyssa: Find Chel  
Once you have caught your breath, you race upstairs. You have a friend to save!

==  
You kick open the door and dash to your friend's side. Nate was right, there is a lot of sticky red liquid surrounding Chel, staining her clothes and clumping her long, pale, hair into knots. You don't see any wounds though... And the blood does seem to be a bit more pink than red... And is that an empty cup full of... Oh he has got to be joking. Is that... Kool Aid?

==FACEPALM x2 COMBO  
Well, you guess all that panic was pretty pointless. You're going to need to shower now. You suppose you might as well stay until she wakes up to check for a concussion.

==  
You clean up the Kool Aid as best as possible and try to figure out why your friend is unconscious. It appears that she fell after being hit with something and hit her head on her bedside table. . Most likely, she knocked over the cup of Kool Aid sitting on her bedside table when she fell. You wonder what she is dreaming about...

==Chel: Go outside  
You discovered quite quickly that in this world, you have gained the capabilities of flight. You glide gracefully out your tower's window and down to the busy street below. The natives are very polite and are happy to show you around. They don't talk, but their friendly gestures have clear meanings. You quickly make friends. Through doodles and hand gestures they tell you that on this world, you are the equivalent of a princess, and that you are quite welcome to explore anywhere you like. You figure that if you are a princess, there must be a queen, and ask that they lead you to her. They say that they would be honoured to give you a tour of the city and take you to the Queen.

==Chel: Go to palace  
Your new friends tell you their names and keep up a good conversation as you travel. One guides you by the hand, which is surprisingly warm considering the hard, white shell that protects it. They tell you that this planet is called Prospit, the golden world, and that while the atmosphere remains cheerful, they are, in fact, preparing for a war against their neighboring obsidian world, Derse. The war will take place on the central , Skaia. They say that seven heroes from both worlds are destined to kill the Dersite King and Queen and bring peace between the worlds. A hero of Time, a hero of Space, a hero of Light, a hero of Blood, a hero of Doom, a hero of Breath, and a hero of Void. As the carapacians describe these heroes, you can't help but think that they sound a whole lot like you and your friends. After what seems like hours of walking and friendly conversation, you finally reach the foot of the palace.

==Chel: Enter palace  
You say thank you and goodbye to your new friends and step inside the palace. Golden arches support the entrance hall, which is covered in portraits of what must be their king and queen. To your surprise, you also find crudely drawn portraits of you and your friends as you walk slowly down the hall and admire the architecture. Eventually you reach the throne room, where a tall, female carapacian wearing a brightly coloured patchwork dress sits upon the throne. She stands and stretches out a hand to greet you with a regal but amiable expression. You accept her gesture of good faith and ask about the war. She tells you about recent events regarding the war, the recent arrival of the heroes, and your role in the game. You thank her for the information and her kindness before she summons a guard to escort you back to your tower.

==  
Once safely back in your tower, you begin to feel tired. You stretch out on your bed and close your eyes.

==Chel: Wake up  
You open your eyes to find that you are back in your bedroom. Something is strangely sticky and your head feels as if it were trying to escape your skull. You sit up groggily, clutch your head, and take a look around.

==  
You figure out that the sticky substance covering your body is, in fact, Kool Aid. You are never going to get that out of your hair, and you might as well trash these clothes with their current state. A strange girl sits on your bed and pets your cat, who is curled into a ball and purring softly. The girl doesn't look familiar to you, but you can't help feeling that you know her.

==  
The girl's head snaps up suddenly and she runs to hug you, saying something about thinking you were dead. Lyssa MEOWS in protest to having been moved. Then it clicks. Kira!

==Kira: Embrace your friend  
You don't care if she is concussed and covered in Kool Aid, you are just so glad that Chel is alive.

==Chel: Be confused  
You start to ask the girl, who you now know to be your friend Kira, what happened when Lyssa pounces on Kira and causes them both to disappear. Oh well. You shrug and go to take a shower.

==Nate: Have a stunning revelation  
Kool Aid! It's not blood, it's Kool Aid! Now you feel kinda bad for causing all that panic... Oh well, you're just glad she's okay. You wonder what happened to the kernel sprite...

==Kira: Lecture Nate  
(candescentAcatalepsy [CA] began pestering telodynamicUtinam [TU])  
CA: (I hate you.)  
TU: heh heh...? sorry?  
CA: (You put me through all that grief for KOOL AID?!)  
TU: i didnt mean to!  
TU: as far as i could tell, she really was dying!  
CA: (Well if you're done being a blithering moron, I'm ready for you to install the client copy. Chel only has one more thing to do before entering the medium, thanks to you.)  
TU: okay. so we're good then?  
CA: (I suppose so.)  
(candescantAcatalepsy [CA] ceased pestering telodynamicUtinam [TU])

==Nate and Kira: Install  
You place the disc into the computer and hit enter. You are determined to save the universe, even if that means destroying it first. Unbeknownst to you, you have only five hours, twenty three minutes, and forty-seven seconds before a meteor destroys Chel's house. You had better get started.

=====END OF ACT 1


End file.
